I liked the movie, didn't much like the book. The movie was lovely to look at. The clothes (however which way they were tied lol) and scenery and the actresses (and actors for that matter - hubba hubba lol) were beautiful. But then I didn't go to this one expecting high art, or accuracy. Hey it's Hollywood, and no offense but most of todays industry industry creators have their heads so far up their ... well you know ... they wouldn't know realism if it hit them in the face.

I'm quite sure there are Japanese actresses out there who could do a fabulous job with the roles, but the truth of the matter is .. Crouching Tiger was a hit in America, and it's stars are very well known here now. Zhang and Yeoh = money. And that's what it's all about.

lostinagoodbook wrote: But then I didn't go to this one expecting high art, or accuracy. Hey it's Hollywood, and no offense but most of todays industry industry creators have their heads so far up their ... well you know ... they wouldn't know realism if it hit them in the face.

my sentiments exactly. i watched the movie b4 reading the book, which was a good thing cos the scenes came alive to me better as i read it afterwards (yes, i've that bad an imagination...) i read the reviews b4 watching the movie, which meant that i could sit back and take in the beautiful scenery (and costumes) without worrying too much abt how true the details were to reality...(but hey, isn't the geisha's world also one outside of reality as we know it?)

I'm quite sure there are Japanese actresses out there who could do a fabulous job with the roles, but the truth of the matter is .. Crouching Tiger was a hit in America, and it's stars are very well known here now. Zhang and Yeoh = money. And that's what it's all about.

i guess the makers of the movie would have done their math first... casting chinese actresses in a japanese movie would surely not go down well with the mainland chinese. in fact, i dont think the movie is even going to be screened in china rite? that wld be like excluding one-fifth of the world's potential audience... for the chinese cast to take on the role wld also be a risk doncha think?

Hmm, I actually liked the book lol. I was a bit confused when I had read at the beginning that it was suppose to be based on a woman's real life, then read at the end how it was fiction. The Geisha that sued him supposedly came out with her own book on it.

They did screen the movie in China, and the response was 1/2 "ha ha! we Chinese have (partially) taken over a film about Japan!" and 1/2 "that's so demeaning - a Chinese woman playing the role of a glorified Japanese prostitute!"

Ultimately, I don't think it really matters what nationality the person is - they found a great actress to play the role, and that's enough. I mean, it's a dramatic adaptation of a work of fiction. I don't understand all this purist crap that gets raised at times like these. The point isn't that this person is Japanese or Chinese or even Martian, what's at stake is her (the character's) life story and the romances and tragedies she experiences.

Those are issues applicable to all people.

If this was a documentary, I could understand the griping, but this is a work of art (yes, Tony, I know that precise terminology is arguable - my point stands). You should be judging whether it's a good film based on its artistic merits, and judging the actress based on her acting abilities, not on whether or not she's truly Japanese/Chinese/Christian/Jewish/Gay/Straight/Married/A Mother/A Lawyer/Etc.

She's an actress - of course she's not what she's pretending to be. That's the point!

HOW MANY times do British/American/Australian/French/German/Russian actors/actresses play roles of another nationality? Do people get upset when that happens?

And although Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans do look different, there is ALWAYS an exception--i.e. someone who's parents came from another country, or whose genes just happen to retain features passed down from their distant ancestors who came from another place.

Japan was largely conquered by the Koreans way back in ancient times. The Japan conquered much of Korea, and even parts of China. There's been so much pushing back and forth between Japan, China, and Korea, of course people's genes get sloshed around everywhere. Do you really think back when Japan controlled a large part of Korea no Japanese people married Koreans and took them back to Japan? The point is, even though the actress was Chinese, they could have chosen a full-blooded Japanese person that looks just as Chinese, if not more so, than the actress they chose and you wouldn't get angry about it.

i think the japanese world is amazing and i love evry bit of being in it but in a perception disagreement ....every one sees something differant or else we would all apeal to the same thing .....i think it would be amazing to be a real life geisha!!!!! a true dream! lolz

I saw it, sort of..I didn't finish it. But at any rate Ken Watanabe did a really good job acting.
I really like him, I think this was like only his second movie he spoke English in.
I think he's filming for the movie Red Sun, Black Sand a movie about Iwa Jima through the persepctive of the Japanese who fought it. I'm excited for that.

I saw the film hoping to hear some Japanese - well obviously I was totally disappointed in that. I though it looked quite beautiful, though I came away wondering how accurate a representation it was. It did seem strange that the younger women didn't look at all Japanese. I thought the performances of the older actors, men and women, were good.

My Japanese teacher, who is Japanese, in her 20s, enjoyed it a lot, which is interesting. People go to see a film for different reasons, so I suppose if you're not bothered about historical accuracy and just want to experience a story, then this film will be okay for you. But it seems a pity that it could easily have been made more accurate without impacting on the budget/profit of the film. It's from a kind of intellectual laziness or arrogance.

I'd be interested to see a Japanese film made on the same subject. Does anyone have any recommendations?